scholarly journals Rates of Chronic Medical Conditions in 1991 Gulf War Veterans Compared to the General Population

Author(s):  
Clara Zundel ◽  
Maxine Krengel ◽  
Timothy Heeren ◽  
Megan Yee ◽  
Claudia Grasso ◽  
...  

Prevalence of nine chronic medical conditions in the population-based Ft. Devens Cohort (FDC) of GW veterans were compared with the population-based 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cohort. Excess prevalence was calculated as the difference in prevalence estimates from the Ft. Devens and NHANES cohorts; and confidence intervals and p-values are based on the standard errors for the two prevalence estimates. FDC males were at increased risk for reporting seven chronic medical conditions compared with NHANES males. FDC females were at decreased risk for high blood pressure and increased risk for diabetes when compared with NHANES females. FDC veterans reporting war-related chemical weapons exposure showed higher risk of high blood pressure; diabetes; arthritis and chronic bronchitis while those reporting taking anti-nerve gas pills had increased risk of heart attack and diabetes. GW veterans are at higher risk of chronic conditions than the general population and these risks are associated with self-reported toxicant exposures.

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-163
Author(s):  
Mary-Rose Faulkner ◽  
Lucy C. Barker ◽  
Simone N. Vigod ◽  
Cindy-Lee Dennis ◽  
Hilary K Brown

BackgroundChronic medical conditions (CMCs) and poverty commonly co-occur and, while both have been shown to independently increase the risk of perinatal mental illness, their collective impact has not been examined.MethodsThis population-based study included 853 433 Ontario (Canada) women with a singleton live birth and no recent mental healthcare. CMCs were identified using validated algorithms and disease registries, and poverty was ascertained using neighbourhood income quintile. Perinatal mental illness was defined as a healthcare encounter for a mental health or substance use disorder in pregnancy or the first year postpartum. Modified Poisson regression was used to test the independent impacts of CMC and poverty on perinatal mental illness risk, adjusted for covariates, and additive interaction between the two exposures was assessed using the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and synergy index (SI).ResultsCMC and poverty were each independently associated with increased risk of perinatal mental illness (CMC vs no CMC exposure: 19.8% vs 15.6%, adjusted relative risk (aRR) 1.21, 95% CI (CI) 1.20 to 1.23; poverty vs no poverty exposure: 16.7% vs 15.5%, aRR 1.06, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.07). However, measures of additive interaction for the collective impact of both exposures on perinatal mental illness risk were not statistically significant (RERI 0.02, 95% CI −0.01 to 0.06; SI 1.09, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.24).ConclusionCMC and poverty are independent risk factors for perinatal mental illness and should be assessed as part of a comprehensive management programme that includes prevention strategies and effective screening and treatment pathways.


Author(s):  
Hamid Reza TABATABAEE ◽  
Atefeh ZAHEDI ◽  
Koorosh ETEMAD ◽  
Tannaz VALADBEIG ◽  
Sepideh MAHDAVI ◽  
...  

Background: Both Gestational diabetes and hypertension almost affect 10.5% of the pregnancies. This study was conducted to investigate and compare the pregnancy outcomes in women with gestational diabetes or high blood pressure with outcomes belonging to healthy mothers. Methods: This population-based case-control study was conducted in 8 provinces and two cities of Iran on women referred to the public health centers during 2015 to 2018. Descriptive statistics for variables presented by percentages and frequencies and logistic regression analysis was used to analyze data at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: Some variables such as ethnicity, maternal education and age, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and previous pregnancy outcome were significantly associated with stillbirth. Maternal age greater than 35 yr (OR=1.78, CI: 1.29-2.48), maternal illiteracy (OR=3.67, CI: 2.25-5.98), a previous stillbirth (OR=9.92, CI: 4.98-19.78), gestational diabetes among women who had never had a screening test (OR =3.91, CI: 2.96-5.18) and high blood pressure (OR =1.95, CI: 1.38-2.77) were important factors associated with stillbirth. Maternal and paternal occupation, paternal education and age, place of residence, smoking and maternal BMI were significantly associated with stillbirth. Conclusion: Gestational diabetes, hypertension, a previous miscarriage, stillbirth, first pregnancy, low education level, advanced maternal age and ethnicity were associated with an increased risk of stillbirth. It is necessary to provide high-quality healthcare services before and during pregnancy particularly for those at heightened risk and improve knowledge of mothers on the side effects of each of the mentioned risk factors in order to control these factors more effectively and thus reducing the risk of stillbirth.


Circulation ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (suppl_12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Rafalson ◽  
Richard P Donahue ◽  
Saverio Stranges

Background: Prehypertension is an increasingly highly prevalent condition in the general population, and is associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease and stroke. However, evidence from population-based studies of the risk factors for prehypertension is scant. We sought to examine the predictors of progression from normotension to prehypertension in a community-based population from Western New York. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal analysis, over six years of follow-up, among 569 men and women (51.8 years, 96% White, 70% female) who were free of prehypertension, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes at the baseline examination, in the Western New York Health Study (WNYHS). Incident prehypertension at follow-up was defined as systolic blood pressure of 120-139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure of 80-89 mmHg. Results: In bivariate analyses, there were several correlates of incident prehypertension, including age, BMI and waist circumference, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), uric acid, and baseline blood pressure levels. After multivariate adjustment, IFG at baseline odds ratio (OR):1.69, 95%CI:1.06-2.67) and weight gain since age 25 (OR: 1.28, 1.11-1.58 per 10 lb. increase) were the strongest significant predictors of prehypertension at follow-up. Neither waist circumference nor current BMI were predictor variables in models when they were substituted for weight gain. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest early dysregulation of glucose metabolism and weight gain over the lifespan are likely to represent important risk factors for prehypertension in the general population.


Circulation ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (suppl_12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward O Bixler ◽  
Duanping Liao ◽  
Alexandros N Vgontzas ◽  
Fan He ◽  
Sol M Rodriguez-Colon ◽  
...  

Objectives: To examine the association between incident sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and blood pressure and blood pressure reactivity in a population based sample of adolescents. Methods: The Penn State Child Cohort is a general population based sample of 700 children aged 5-12 years at the baseline examination (2000-2005). Currently, 300 participants have completed their 8-year follow up examination. Blood pressure was assessed at follow up in the evening using an automated device prior to the sleep recording in three positions. Three assessments in the seated position were completed after 5 minutes of rest. This was followed by 3 assessments in the supine position after 5 minutes of rest. The averages of the 2 nd and 3 rd readings for both positions are reported. Finally the subject was asked to stand as fast as possible and 2 additional readings were completed immediately upon their foot hitting the floor. These two standing readings were averaged. The difference between standing and supine BP was used as measures of vascular reactivity. The age, gender and height adjusted mean level of BP measures comparing individuals with and without incident SDB (defined as Apnea Hypopnia Index, AHI>5/hr) after excluding individuals with baseline SDB were calculated. Results: We observed no significant differences in diastolic blood pressure across the three positions. However, systolic blood pressure across all three positions and vascular reactivity were significantly elevated in those with incident SDB, as summarized in Table 1. Conclusion: In an 8-year followup of this population based sample of children, there was no persistence of SDB from baseline. Incident SDB (about 11%) was significantly associated with elevated systolic BP across all three positions. Further, SDB was associated with increased systolic BP reactivity, which has been associated with increased risk of CVD and the development of hypertension in adults.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 608-614
Author(s):  
H. Boulenouar ◽  
S. Mediene Benchekor ◽  
H. Ouhaibi Djellouli ◽  
S. Larjam Hetraf ◽  
L. Houti ◽  
...  

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) represents a combination of at least three primary metabolic abnormalities from among obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure, once combined, they increase significantly the cardiovascular risk. The APOE gene is considered as a genetic risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, it has been linked to MetS or its traits in several populations. Our study aimed to analyze the association of three APOE gene polymorphisms with MetS risk and its components in a general population sample, and to highlight the potential influence of these polymorphisms on individual susceptibility to MetS. We performed this work using a population-based, cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 787 individuals (378 men and 409 women, aged between 30 and 64 years) recruited in the city of Oran, Algeria (the ISOR Study); the subjects were genotyped for four polymorphisms, rs7412, rs429358, rs4420638 and rs439401, located in the APOE gene, using the KASPar technology. rs439401 showed a significant association with hypertension (HBP). The T allele confers a high risk of hypertension with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.46 (95 % CI [1.12–1.9], p = 0.006). rs4420638 was significantly associated with obesity in the general population. The G allele provides protection against obesity, the resulting OR is 0.48 (95 % CI [0.29–0.81], p = 0.004). Although APOE variants were not associated with the risk of MetS, the APOE polymorphism alleles were associated with some of the metabolic parameters in Algerian subjects. The relation of APOE rs439401 alleles with a HBP is likely to be indicative of a state of stress of the population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Kim ◽  
H Jung ◽  
P.S Yang ◽  
H.T Yu ◽  
T.H Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Pulse pressure (PP) is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the association between the PP and dementia is not well identified. This study aimed to determine the effect of PP on the risk of dementia development in different age subgroups using a longitudinal, population-based, and stroke-free cohort from the general population. Methods The association of PP with the development of incident dementia was assessed from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2013, in 433,154 participants without a history of dementia or stroke from the Korea National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening cohort. The diagnosis of dementia was defined using the 10th revision of the International Classification of Disease codes. Results The mean age of the cohort was 55.7±9.2 years, 45.7% were women. Hypertension was 23.6%. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the entire cohort were 125.9±16.6 and 78.4±10.7 mmHg, respectively. Mean PP was 47.5±10.9 mmHg. In the middle-age group (40 to 50 year-old), increasing of 10 mmHg of PP was associated with incident dementia after adjusting mean blood pressure and clinical variables with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.21 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–1.23, p<0.001). The association was still significant even after censoring for stroke (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.08–1.22, p<0.001). In the older population, elevation of PP was not associated with dementia development (HR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.95–1.01, p=0.247) Conclusion PP was associated with increased risk of dementia only in middle-aged population beyond that of mean arterial pressure. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


Author(s):  
Saeed U. Khaja ◽  
Kevin C. Mathias ◽  
Emilie D. Bode ◽  
Donald F. Stewart ◽  
Kepra Jack ◽  
...  

Hypertension is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and cardiac remodeling and is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac events, the leading cause of duty-related death in the fire service. We assessed systemic blood pressures and prevalence of hypertension among US firefighters by decade of life. Medical records of career firefighters (5063 males and 274 females) from four geographically diverse occupational health clinics were assessed. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥80 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication. Results from the firefighter sample were compared to the US general population (2015–2016 and 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys). Among the total sample, 69% of firefighters met the criteria for hypertension and 17% were taking antihypertensive medications. Percentages of hypertensive male and female firefighters were 45% and 11% among 20–29 years old, respectively, and increased to 78% and 79% among 50–59 years old, respectively. Compared to the general population, male firefighters had a higher prevalence of hypertension (p < 0.05) across all age groups (11–16% higher). In order to improve firefighter health and protect against sudden incapacitation in this public safety occupational group, increased efforts are necessary to screen for and manage high blood pressure.


2018 ◽  
Vol 212 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Mustonen ◽  
Solja Niemelä ◽  
Tanja Nordström ◽  
Graham K. Murray ◽  
Pirjo Mäki ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe association between cannabis use and the risk of psychosis has been studied extensively but the temporal order still remains controversial.AimsTo examine the association between cannabis use in adolescence and the risk of psychosis after adjustment for prodromal symptoms and other potential confounders.MethodThe sample (n = 6534) was composed of the prospective general population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort of 1986. Information on prodromal symptoms of psychosis and cannabis use was collected using questionnaires at age 15–16 years. Participants were followed up for ICD-10 psychotic disorders until age 30 years using nationwide registers.ResultsThe risk of psychosis was elevated in individuals who had tried cannabis five times or more (hazard ratio, (HR) = 6.5, 95% CI 3.0–13.9). The association remained statistically significant even when adjusted for prodromal symptoms, other substance use and parental psychosis (HR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.1–8.0).ConclusionsAdolescent cannabis use is associated with increased risk of psychosis even after adjustment for baseline prodromal symptoms, parental psychosis and other substance use.Declaration of interestNone.


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